Method and system for creating, receiving and playing multiview images, and related mobile communication device

ABSTRACT

A method and a system for creating, receiving and playing multi-view images are provided, and a related mobile communication device is also provided. A service server in the system receives images collected by the devices and encodes the received images based at least partly on redundancy of the images. The service server converts the received images into the multi-view images and sends them to a client terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application claims priority to applications entitled “METHODAND SYSTEM FOR CREATING, RECEIVING AND PLAYING MULTIVIEW IMAGES, ANDRELATED MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE” filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Dec. 24, 2007 and assigned Serial No. 10-2007-0136472and on Nov. 28, 2008 and assigned Serial No. 10-2008-0119323, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to techniques of a multi-viewimage service and, more particularly, to a method and a system forconverting individual images acquired at several angles by cameras ofplural mobile communication devices into multi-view images, and arelated mobile communication device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A communication device enables persons in different locations to easilyand immediately transmit information to each other. Recent advances incommunication technology provide communication devices with portability,thus realizing mobile communication devices. These days such mobilecommunication devices are rapidly increasing in use over the world.

In addition to a traditional function of voice call, a mobilecommunication device today has a great variety of functions such asmessage transmission, music file play, camera, image file display, andso forth. That is, a mobile communication device today is integratedwith new-proposed various services and thereby offers substantialconvergence services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is aprimary object to provide technical advances that allow creatingmulti-view images by converting individual images acquired at severalangles by cameras of plural mobile communication devices into themulti-view images.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for creatingmulti-view images is provided. This method comprises obtainingcertification of a multi-view image service at a master device; groupingmobile communication devices for creation of the multi-view images bythe master device; selecting an image processing server being availablefor the grouped mobile communication devices; acquiring images of aphotographing target by the grouped mobile communication devices;transmitting the images to the selected image processing server; andconverting the images into the multi-view images.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method forreceiving and playing multi-view images is provided. This methodcomprises selecting a content including the multi-view images; selectinga receiving type for receiving the content; receiving the contentaccording to the selected receiving type; playing the received content;and if there is a request for playing the multi-view images while thecontent is played, playing the multi-view images of a scenecorresponding to a time of the request.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a system fora multi-view image service is provided. This system comprises aplurality of mobile communication devices obtaining certification of themulti-view image service, forming a group for creation of multi-viewimages, acquiring and transmitting images of a photographing target; anda service server performing the certification to at least one of theplurality of mobile communication, receiving the images transmitted fromthe mobile communication devices, and encoding the received images intothe multi-view images based at least partly on redundancy of thereceived images.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, provided isa mobile communication device that comprises a camera acquiring images;a control unit controlling the acquisition of the images by the camera,and controlling the transmission of the images; and a short-distancewireless communication module establishing a short-distance wirelesscommunication channel with other mobile communication devices under thecontrol of the control unit. Here, the control unit acquires deviceinformation and camera information about the mobile communicationdevices through the short-distance wireless communication module andperforms grouping of the mobile communication devices.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, provided isa mobile communication device that comprises a camera acquiring images;a control unit controlling the acquisition of the images by the camera,and controlling the transmission of the images; and a short-distancewireless communication module establishing a short-distance wirelesscommunication channel with other mobile communication devices under thecontrol of the control unit. Here, the control unit, when receiving astandard block from a specific one of the other mobile communicationdevices, the standard block corresponding to at least one part of animage acquired by the specific mobile communication device, detects acompared block corresponding to the standard block by comparing thestandard block with the acquired image, determines a degree of imagediscordance between the standard block with the compared block, anddisplays an indicator for the movement of a camera focus so as to adjustthe image discordance.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION below, itmay be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and“comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion withoutlimitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases“associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivativesthereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with,contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, becommunicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximateto, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and theterm “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controlsat least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware,firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same.It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particularcontroller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally orremotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are providedthroughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the artshould understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitionsapply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words andphrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a multi-view image service system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a mobile communication device inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are example views showing graphical user interfaces of amobile communication device in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a service server in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a method for acquiring individualimages for multi-view images in a mobile communication device inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a method for operating a service serverin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a method for operating an imageprocessing server in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a method for converting multi-viewimages in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing a method for transmitting and receivingmulti-view images in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 is an example view showing a photographing method using mobilecommunication devices in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 through 10, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged mobile communication device.

Mobile communication devices to be described below may be classifiedinto a master device controlling a service for creating multi-viewimages, and other devices each acquiring moving images under the controlof the master device. Mobile communication devices may have applicationprograms for multi-view image creation, and the first device to enablesuch application programs may be appointed as the master device. Also,the master authority may be transferred to another device. That is, anymobile communication device can become the master device, which is notfixed to a specific device. Hereinafter, each mobile communicationdevice may become a master device controlling multi-view image creation,a participant in multi-view image creation, or any other device forreceiving and playing multi-view images.

An image processing server creates multi-view images from individualimages sent by other devices. Here, the image processing server createsmoving images regarding a base image among the whole images, and linksmulti-view images to each moving image. So, by selecting a link of aspecific scene while watching moving images, a user can see multi-viewimages regarding the selected specific scene.

Embodiments described herein of the present invention relate toacquisition and transmission of images between a service server and amobile communication device, creation of multi-view images throughconversion, and reception and play of such multi-view images. Therefore,a method and a system according to embodiments of the present inventionwill be often referred to as a multi-view image service method and amulti-view image service system.

A mobile communication device employed for the present invention may notbe limited to any specific kind of portable device. A mobilecommunication device in the present invention can acquire images througha camera and transmit them to a specific server or any other mobilecommunication device. A mobile communication device in the presentinvention may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or a3 G terminal such as an international mobile telecommunication 2000(IMT-2000) terminal, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA)terminal, and a universal mobile telecommunication service (UMTS)terminal. Alternatively, the present invention may employ any otherkinds of communication devices, multimedia devices, and their suitableequivalents.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a multi-view image service system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a multi-view image service system includes aplurality of mobile communication devices 100, a mobile communicationsystem 200, a service server 300, and a client terminal 400.

In this multi-view image service system, each mobile communicationdevice 100 acquires moving images and transmits them to the serviceserver 300 through the mobile communication system 200. The serviceserver 300 edits the received moving images and creates multi-viewimages. When the client terminal 400 accesses and requests fordownloading, the service server 300 transmits the created multi-viewimages to the client terminal 400. That is, the multi-view image servicesystem can provide a multi-view image service to the client terminal400. The following is a detailed description about respective elements.

The mobile communication device 100 obtains moving images of aphotographing target 10, and sends them to the service server 300 viathe mobile communication system 200. For this, each mobile communicationdevice 100 may have a camera embedded therein. A synchronous signal usedfor photographing the target 10 may be received from the service server300 or created through a short-distance wireless communication module inthe mobile communication device 100. In the case of using ashort-distance wireless communication module, the master device amongthe mobile communication devices 100 may receive a message about mastercertification from the service server 300. By selecting a group amongneighboring mobile communication devices 100, the master device may seta group to acquire images for multi-view images. Then the master deviceproduces setting information about a group and sends it to the serviceserver 300. Also the master device receives, from the service server300, a message about certification for the mobile communication devices100 included in the setting information. This setting informationincludes hardware information, such as a specification of a camera, andlocation information between the mobile communication devices 100. Ifthe mobile communication devices 100 are differently set in time fromeach other, the above setting information may include time information.This setting information becomes the basis by which the service server300 creates a synchronous signal, and may also be used as informationfor assigning a server to process receiving images.

In the case where the mobile communication devices 100 use the IMS (IPmultimedia subsystem) service, the mobile communication devices 100 mayhave a synchronous signal in common using a presence server supported bythe IMS service. That is, the mobile communication devices 100 toacquire images for multi-view images may establish a communicationchannel with the presence server supported by the mobile communicationnetwork. Accordingly, these mobile communication devices 100 form acommunication network around the presence server. Here, if the masterdevice in a group to acquire images for multi-view images sends asynchronous signal, the presence server transmits a synchronous signalto each mobile communication device 100 to acquire images for multi-viewimages. On the other hand, the service server 300 can obtain informationabout the mobile communication devices 100 to acquire images formulti-view images by accessing the presence server. That is, when themaster device collects information about other mobile communicationdevices and sends it to the presence server, the presence servertransmits this information to the service server 300. Here, the masterdevice can operate a short-distance wireless communication module toobtain information about mobile communication devices 100. Afterobtaining this information, the master device may remove ashort-distance wireless communication network, but maintain a networkusing the presence server for the creation and transmission of asynchronous signal.

The mobile communication system 200 receives moving images from themobile communication devices 100 and then transmits them to the serviceserver 300. Also, the mobile communication system 200 relays asynchronous signal and a certification message both of which aretransmitted from the service server 300 to the mobile communicationdevices 100. For this, the mobile communication system 200 may includebase stations that form communication channels with the mobilecommunication devices 100, base station controllers that control thebase stations, mobile switching centers that switch the base stationcontrollers, and gateways that form communication channels with theservice server 300. Furthermore, the mobile communication system 200 mayinclude accounting units that set the pay per use of channels for amulti-view image service in the mobile communication devices 100. On theother hand, the service server 300 and the client terminal 400 maytransmit and receive signals directly or via the mobile communicationsystem 200. To support a multi-view image service, the mobilecommunication system 200 may be one of various communication networkssuch as 2 G networks, 3 G networks, mobile Internet networks, and soforth.

The service server 300 creates multi-view images by using moving imagessent by the mobile communication devices 100, and then transmits thecreated multi-view images to the client terminal 400. Specifically, theservice server 300 performs certification that decides whether or notthe mobile communication devices 100 can use a multi-view image service.After certification, the service server 300 creates a synchronous signalso that the mobile communication devices 100 can take moving images tobe converted into multi-view images, and then sends it to the mobilecommunication devices 100. Also, when receiving moving images from themobile communication devices 100, the service server 300 createsmulti-view images based at least partly on the redundancy of respectiveindividual images. These multi-view images may be offered to the clientterminal 400 upon request thereof.

The client terminal 400 establishes a communication channel with theservice server 300 and downloads a variety of contents (i.e., multi-viewimages) the service server 300 provides. When receiving multi-viewimages, the client terminal 400 may use a download service or astreaming service according to the service type of the service server300. Also, the client terminal 400 may form a variety of channels withthe service server 300 according to its supportability. That is,depending on the types of the client terminal 400, the properties of acommunication channel between the client terminal 400 and the serviceserver 300 may be varied. For example, if the client terminal 400 iscapable accessing the Internet through a cable or a wireless network, anInternet communication channel may be formed with the service server300. If the client terminal 400 is a mobile communication device such asa mobile phone or a PDA, a mobile communication channel may be formedwith the service server 300. Here, the client terminal 400 may be one ofthe aforesaid mobile communication devices 100.

As discussed above, the multi-view image service system can provide amulti-view image service for the photographing target 10 by creatingmulti-view images from moving images the mobile communication devices100 collect, and by transmitting them to the client terminal 400.Hereinafter, further detailed description about respective elements ofthe system will be given with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the mobile communication device 100 inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mobile communication device 100 includes aradio frequency (RF) unit 110, an input unit 120, an audio processingunit 130, a camera 140, a display unit 150, a memory 160, and a controlunit 170, and may further include a short-distance wirelesscommunication module 180.

This mobile communication device 100 forms a communication channel withthe service server 300, receives a message related to certification, andcollects moving images in connection with other mobile communicationdevices. Then the mobile communication device 100 transmits imagesacquired by the camera 140 to the service server 300 through the mobilecommunication system 200. On the other hand, the mobile communicationdevice 100 may play a role as the client terminal 400 by accessing theservice server 300 and downloading contents related to multi-viewimages. The following is a detailed description about elements of themobile communication device 100.

The RF unit 110 transmits and receives signals for multi-view images tothe service server 300 through the mobile communication system 200.Specifically, the RF unit 110 establishes a communication channel fortransmitting moving images with the mobile communication system 200, andreceives a certification-related message, a synchronous signal, and soforth, that the service server 300 sends through the mobilecommunication system 200. Additionally, if the mobile communicationdevice 100 is the client terminal 400, the RF unit 110 may form acommunication channel for downloading multi-view images with the serviceserver 300. For these, the RF unit 110 may include an RF transmitterthat up-converts the frequency of transmitted signals and amplifies thetransmitted signals, and an RF receiver that low-noise amplifiesreceived signals and down-converts the frequency of the receivedsignals.

The input unit 120 includes a number of alphanumeric keys and functionkeys arranged for efficient data entry. The function keys may havenavigation keys, side keys, shortcut keys, and other kinds of specifickeys. The input unit 120 creates key input signals related to user'ssetting or a function control of the mobile communication device 100,and then sends them to the control unit 170.

Particularly, the input unit 120 creates a key input signal forselecting an application program to acquire images for multi-viewimages, a key input signal for controlling the camera 140 inphotographing for multi-view images, and a key input signal forcontrolling the operation of sending captured images to the serviceserver 300. Additionally, if the mobile communication device 100 acts asthe client terminal 400, the input unit 120 may create a key inputsignal for accessing the service server 300, a key input signal forappointing a specific multi-view image among plural multi-view imagesthat the service server 300 offers, and a key input signal fordownloading the appointed multi-view image.

The audio processing unit 130 outputs, through a speaker (SPK), audiosignals received from the RF unit 110. Also, the audio processing unit130 receives audio signals inputted from a microphone (MIC) and sendsthem to the control unit 170. Particularly, in photographing movingimages, the audio processing unit 130 may collect audio signals aroundthe photographing target 10. Additionally, in downloading multi-viewimages from the service server 300, the audio processing unit 130 mayoutput audio signals in the downloaded multi-view images.

The camera 140 creates data signals by acquiring images and transmittingthem to the control unit 170. These data signals may be temporarily orsemi-permanently stored depending on a user's selection. The camera 140may be automatically enabled under the control of the control unit 170when an application program for a multi-view image service is enabled,and also automatically disabled together with disabling of the aboveapplication program. Images the camera 140 acquires may be transmittedin real-time to the service server 300 under the control of the controlunit 170.

The display unit 150 displays various kinds of graphical informationinputted by a user or offered to a user. For example, the display unit150 provides graphical user interfaces such as a standby screen,hierarchical menu screens, a call screen, a message writing screen, andso forth. Particularly, the display unit 150 may display images acquiredby the camera 140, multi-view images received from the outside, and ascreen showing transmission of moving images. The display unit 150 mayemploy a liquid crystal display (LCD) device or other alternativedisplay devices. The display unit 150 may be formed of a touch-screen,which performs also a part or all of the functions of the input unit120.

The memory 160 stores a variety of application programs required foroperation of the mobile communication device 100. Additionally, thememory 160 temporarily or semi-permanently stores images acquired by thecamera 140, and also buffers images transmitted to the service server300 or signals received from the service server 300. The memory 160 mayconsist of a program region and a data region.

The program region stores an operating system (OS) for booting themobile communication device 100, an application program required forplaying multi-view images, an application program for controlling thecamera 140, an application program for creating multi-view images, andother optional application programs required for an audio replayfunction, an image or video replay function, and so forth. When there isa user's request for enabling one of the above functions, the programregion offers the requested function using the corresponding applicationprogram under the control of the control unit 170.

The data region stores data created according to the use of the mobilecommunication device 100. Specifically, the data region may store stillimages or moving images acquired by the camera, phonebook data, audiodata, metadata related to contents, and any other user-related data.Particularly, the data region may play a role as a buffer while movingimages acquired by the camera 140 are transferred to the service server300. Also, if the mobile communication device 100 operates as the clientterminal 400, the data region may store multi-view images received fromthe service server 300. Additionally, if the mobile communicationdevices 100 are to use a multi-view image service, the data region maytemporarily store a message related to master certification, informationabout group setting, and so forth.

The control unit 170 controls signal flows between the above-discussedelements, and provides control signals required for operation of themobile communication device 100. Particularly, when the input unit 120sends an input signal for enabling an application program for creatingmulti-view images, the control unit 170 controls enabling thatapplication program stored in the memory 160. For creation of multi-viewimages, the control unit 170 of the master device causes the RF unit 110to transmit signals for certification of multi-view image creation tothe service server 300. Also, the control unit 170 may produce a list ofmobile communication devices to acquire images for multi-view images.This list may be directly inputted into the master device, oralternatively produced on the basis of device information received whilea short-distance wireless communication channel is formed using theshort-distance wireless communication modules in the mobilecommunication devices. When this list is completed, the control unit 170produces setting information for creating multi-view images bycollecting information about each mobile communication device. Thissetting information may include device information, camera informationand location information of the mobile communication device. To producethis setting information, the control unit 170 may collect necessaryinformation through a short-distance wireless communication channel withthe other mobile communication devices. Alternatively, this settinginformation may include device information only. Here, the serviceserver 300 may acquire the other necessary information such as camerainformation from a specific server (for example, a home locationregister (HLR)) on the basis of device information. The control unit 170transmits this setting information to the service server 300, andacquires the authority for certification of multi-view image creationfrom the service server 300. Here, the control unit 170 may receive asynchronous signal to control the camera 140 from the service server300. The master device and the other devices may use this synchronoussignal as a signal for taking moving images. When the mobilecommunication devices 100 form a short-distance wireless communicationchannel, the control unit 170 may produce and transmit a synchronoussignal through a short-distance wireless communication channel tosynchronize the camera 140 of each mobile communication device. Forexample, when receiving an input signal instructing image acquisition bythe camera 140, the control unit 170 of the master device cansynchronize the cameras 140 by transmitting a signal for enabling thecamera 140 to the other mobile communication devices through ashort-distance wireless communication channel and simultaneouslyenabling its own camera 140. Also, the control unit 170 may control thetransmission of moving images to the service server 300 through themobile communication system 200.

The short-distance wireless communication module 180 allows theestablishment of short-distance communication channels between themobile communication devices 100. The short-distance wirelesscommunication module 180 may be a Bluetooth module, a Zigbee module, orany other alternative module. When an application program for creatingmulti-view images is enabled, the short-distance wireless communicationmodule 180 may be enabled under the control of the control unit 170.Then the short-distance wireless communication module 180 forms acommunication channel with neighboring mobile communication devices 100,and may transmit camera information, device location information, anddevice information (i.e., phone number, serial number, and so forth) tothe short-distance wireless communication module 180 of the masterdevice. For transmission of device location information, the mobilecommunication device may use location determination technique by thebase station, or may further include a GPS module. In order to adjustsynchronization of all the mobile communication devices 100 that takepart in creation of multi-view images, the short-distance wirelesscommunication module 180 may transmit a synchronous signal to the othermobile communication devices 100. This synchronous signal that theshort-distance wireless communication module 180 transmits correspondsto a signal through which the master device controls the camera 140.

As discussed above, the mobile communication device 100 of the presentinvention has an application program for creating multi-view images,acquires multi-view images of the photographing target 10 by connectingwith the other mobile communication devices, and transmits the acquiredimages to the service server 300. In addition, the mobile communicationdevice 100 may play a role as the client terminal 400 by accessing theservice server 300 and receiving multi-view images in a downloading orstreaming type.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are example views showing graphical user interfaces ofthe mobile communication device in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. Among them, FIGS. 3A and 3B show agraphical user interface of the master device, FIG. 3C shows that of theother devices except the master device, and FIG. 3D shows that of allthe devices which take part in creation of multi-view images.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the master device offers a menu item for “userregistration” of a multi-view image service on the display unit 150.Preferably, this menu item for user registration is linked to anapplication program for creating multi-view images so that thisapplication program can be enabled by selecting a user registrationmenu. The display unit 150 of the master device may further displayanother menu item for “moving image service” that allows downloading andwatching multi-view images from the service server 300. When a movingimage service menu is enabled, the mobile communication device accessesthe service server 300, downloads and displays a web page the serviceserver 300 provides. Thereafter, when multi-view images are selectedamong various contents displayed in the display unit 150, the mobilecommunication device provides, on the display unit, a download screen ofmulti-view images or, in case of streaming, multi-view images in realtime.

If the creation of multi-view images is certified by the service server300, the master device registers mobile communication device to takepart in the creation of multi-view images. For this, as shown in FIG.3B, the master device offers a menu for “user number registration” onthe display unit. This menu is for registering the phone numbers ofparticipant devices. These phone numbers may be directly inputted in themaster device, or selected in a phonebook. Alternatively, these phonenumbers may be inputted from device information that the mobilecommunication devices transmit through a short-distance wirelesscommunication channel. After the user number registration of the mobilecommunication devices to take part in the creation of multi-view imagesis completed, the master device produces setting information on thebasis of information about the registered devices, and then transmitsthis setting information to the service server 300. Depending on thissetting information, the service server 300 checks the states ofcurrently available processing servers, and then, if processing ispossible, transmits a message related to group certification to themobile communication devices 100.

Upon receiving a message related to group certification allowingcreation of multi-view images from the service server 300, the mobilecommunication device 100 may display a message related to “multi-viewimage group certification” by using a window such as a pop-up as shownin FIG. 3C. Then the mobile communication device 100 may remove thedisplayed message when “OK” is selected. Simultaneously, the camera 140of each mobile communication device 100 is enabled and then obtains apreview image of a photographing target. So, the display unit 150 candisplay such a preview image. Thereafter, once the master device sends asignal to take moving images required for creating multi-view images,the mobile communication devices 100 collect images of a photographingtarget and then display them on the display unit 150 as shown in FIG.3D. Alternatively, the mobile communication devices 100 may performphotographing of moving images by using, as a synchronous signal, thetime when each mobile communication device 100 receives a multi-viewimage group certification signal from the service server 300.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the service server 300 in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the service server 300 includes an MVS (multi-viewservice) server 310, at least one image processing server 320, and a webserver 330.

The MVS server 310 transmits a certification-related message to themobile communication devices 100, and receives moving images requiredfor creating multi-view images from the mobile communication devices100. In addition, the MVS server 310 checks whether there is a currentlyavailable one among the image processing servers 320, and then transmitsmoving images to the available image processing server 320. For this,the MVS server 310 may include a certification server and a database.The certification server stores information about the mobilecommunication devices 100 available for a multi-view image service. Thedatabase stores information about each image processing server 320 tocheck a resource state and a current state of each image processingserver 320.

The certification server may be disposed within the mobile communicationsystem 200 in another network design. The certification server storesphone numbers of the mobile communication devices 100 available for amulti-view image service. Additionally, the certification serverreceives setting information (i.e., information about the mobilecommunication devices 100 that take part in creation of multi-viewimages) and also estimates the capacity of the image processing server320 required for the mobile communication devices 100 listed in settinginformation. Then the certification server checks whether there is acurrently available image processing server 320 by referring to thedatabase storing information about the image processing servers 320, andthen, if there is a available server 320, transmits a multi-view imagegroup certification message to each mobile communication device. Ifthere is no available image processing server, the certification servermay transmit a message of non-available service to each mobilecommunication device. After certification is made and moving images arereceived from the mobile communication devices 100, the MVS server 310transmits the received moving images to the image processing server 320.Here, the MVS server 310 may form a direct route for moving imagetransmission from the mobile communication devices 100 to the imageprocessing server 320 through a direct communication link therebetween.

The image processing server 320 transmits information about its ownresource state and current state to the MVS server 310. Creatingmulti-view images consumes some amount of resources. So, if a specificserver has already supported a multi-view image service of the othermobile communication devices, that server will have increasing loads. Inorder to disperse such increasing loads, it is desirable that each imageprocessing server 320 updates information about its own state to thedatabase of the MVS server 310 in real time or according to eventoccurrence. Also, by directly communicating with the mobilecommunication devices 100 performing a multi-view image service withoutpassing through the MVS server 310, the image processing servers 320 cannot only realize a high-speed receiving of moving images, but alsoreduce the load of the MVS server 310. FIG. 4 shows three exemplaryimage processing servers 321, 322 and 323, but the present invention isnot limited to the specific number of the image processing servers. Thatis, the present invention may employ much more image processing servers,or may use only a single image processing server with good performance.On the other hand, the image processing server 320 encodes the receivedimages based at least partly on redundancy (i.e., unnecessaryrepetition, between the received images). Specifically, if the receivedimages have redundancy greater than a predefined ratio, the imageprocessing server 320 encodes the received images using a specific codecsuch as 3DAV MVC (3-dimensional audio video multi-view codec). If thereceived images have redundancy smaller than a predefined ratio, theimage processing server 320 encodes the received images using anotherspecific codec such as MPEG4/AVC (moving picture experts group 4 audiovideo codec). That is, the image processing server 320 compresses andencodes each received image, which has redundancy greater than apredefined ratio, based at least partly on redundancy, thus reducing thecapacities of all multi-view images. Also, the image processing server320 encodes separately each received image, which has redundancy smallerthan a predefined ratio, and converts the encoded images into multi-viewimages. Therefore, when the received images have redundancy smaller thana predefined ratio, the image processing server 320 does not performenormous calculation and unspecified compensation required forredundancy consideration. This not only reduces a system load, but alsoallows exact and efficient encoding for images with a lower degree ofassociation.

The web server 330 controls access to the client terminal 400, and alsotransmits multi-view images to each client terminal 400 in response toits request. If the client terminal 400 requests specific multi-viewimages in a downloading type, the web server 330 transmits the requestedmulti-view images through an available channel. Here, the requestedmulti-view images may be selected from multi-view images which havedifferent playing positions and are included in contents of the webserver 330. Alternatively, the client terminal 400 may request a contenthaving multi-view images in a streaming type. Here, if the clientterminal 400 selects multi-view images for a specific scene, the webserver 330 receives a selection signal from the client terminal 400 andthen streams corresponding multi-view images to the requesting clientterminal 400. That is, the web server 330 can provide specificmulti-view images only at a desired playing position that the clientterminal 400 requests.

Heretofore, described is the multi-view image service system accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, amulti-view image service method according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a method for acquiring individualimages for multi-view images in a mobile communication device inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a step S101, the master device among the mobilecommunication devices 100 enables an application program (MVS App.) forcreating multi-view images in response to a user's input. Then, in astep S103, the master device transmits a message for requestingcertification of a multi-view image service to the service server 300through the mobile communication system 200. Alternatively, this messagemay be sent to a certification server in the mobile communication system200.

Next, in a step S105, the master device checks whether the masterauthority is certified. If not certified, the master device determines,in a step S107, whether to continue a multi-view image service. Then themaster device returns to the previous step S103 for continuation, orotherwise comes to an end. Certification of the master authority checkswhether the master device has been admitted to a multi-view imageservice. The certification server has service registration records ofthe mobile communication devices. When receiving a request forcertification from one of the devices, the certification serverdetermines the validity of certification and offers the result of thedetermination to the requesting device.

If the master authority is certified in the aforesaid step S105, themaster device sets a group for multi-view image service (MVS) togetherwith other suitable devices in a step S109. This is to group the mobilecommunication devices to take part in creation of multi-view images. Forthis, the master device allows directly inputting phone numbers of otherdevices or selecting those stored in a phonebook. Alternatively, themaster device may acquire phone numbers of other devices through theshort-distance wireless communication module.

After grouping, the master device collects device information from otherdevices, creates group information of a multi-view image service, andtransmits the group information to the service server 300 in a stepS111. The device information may include phone number information onlyor may further include camera specification information, device locationinformation, and so forth. Even though the device information includesphone numbers only, the service server 300 may acquire other necessaryinformation on the basis of phone numbers of the devices.

Next, in a step S113, the mobile communication devices 100 checkswhether a group certification is allowed from the MVS server of theservice server 300. If not allowed, the devices return to the aforesaidstep S105. The group certification means that the service server 300estimates the size of images to be received, depending on the resolutionor size of images that the devices 100 acquire, and then checks whetherthere is an image processing server capable of processing the estimatedimages. If there is an available image processing server, the devices100 receives a group certification message from the service server 300.Then, in a step S115, the mobile communication devices 100 performtiming synchronization for creating multi-view images. This timingsynchronization adjusts the time when the camera of each device 100starts to photograph. If the short-distance wireless communicationchannel is formed, the mobile communication devices 100 can transmit andreceive a synchronous signal through the short-distance wirelesscommunication channel. Alternatively, the timing synchronization may beperformed according to a synchronous signal the MVS server of theservice server 300 offers.

After the timing synchronization, in a step S117, the mobilecommunication devices 100 start to collect individual images formulti-view images when receiving a control or synchronous signal fromthe master device. Then, in a step S119, the devices 100 transmit thecollected images to the service server 300. Here, the devices 100 maysend in real time the collected images directly to a specific imageprocessing server 320 of the service server 300. Furthermore, theaforesaid step S117 may be performed only if the service server is notavailable for a stream service. If it is determined in a step S116 thatthe service server is available for a stream service, the aforesaid stepS117 may be omitted.

As discussed above, each mobile communication device 100 obtainscertification of a multi-view image service, and sets a group for amulti-view image service together with other devices. Preferably, eachmobile communication device 100 sends its own camera information to theservice server 300 so that the collected images can be processed in asuitable image processing server.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a method for operating a service serverin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in a step S201, the MVS server 310 checks the stateof the image processing server 320. For this, the MVS server 310 maypreferably include a separate database to store and update informationabout the state of each image processing server 320. This server stateinformation may include a resource state and a currently used state ofeach image processing server 320. Each image processing server 320updates information stored in the database in real time or according toevent occurrence, and the MVS server 310 may check, depending oninformation stored in the database, whether each image processing server320 is currently available.

Next, in a step S203, the MVS server 310 checks whether it has receiveda master certification request from the master device. Unless there is acertification request, the MVS server 310 performs other suitableprocess such as database management in a step S205. If there is acertification request, the MVS server 310 checks the validity of therequesting device in a step S207. The validity of the device isdetermined depending on whether a device requesting master certificationhas been admitted to a multi-view image service. Therefore, by using thecertification server that stores phone numbers of devices admitted to amulti-view image service, the MVS server 310 can check the validity ofthe certification-requesting device. If the certification-requestingdevice is not valid, the MVS server 310 sends a message of “notcertified” to the requesting device in a step S209.

If the certification-requesting device is valid, the MVS server 310transmits a message of master certification to the requesting device(i.e., the master device) in a step S211. Then, in a step S213, the MVSserver 310 checks whether it has received a group certification requestfor creating of multi-view images. Unless there is a group certificationrequest, the MVS server 310 waits for a specific time while performingother suitable process such as database management in a step S215, andthen returns to the previous step S213. The group certification requestmay correspond to reception of setting information from the mobilecommunication devices 100 including the master device. This settinginformation may include device information, camera information andlocation information of the mobile communication devices 100 which willacquire images for creating multi-view images. Depending on the settinginformation, the MVS server 310 selects, in a step S217, one or moreimage processing servers 320 being capable of processing the movingimages which the mobile communication devices 100 will offer. Afterselection, the MVS server 310 transmits a group certification message tothe mobile communication devices 100.

Next, in a step S219, the MVS server 310 determines whether the selectedimage processing server 320 is available. If available, the MVS server310 sends information about the selected image processing server 320 tothe mobile communication devices 100 in a step S221. If not available,the MVS server 310 selects another image processing server in a stepS223 and returns to the aforesaid step S219.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a method for operating an imageprocessing server in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, in a step S231, each image processing server 320sends its own resource information to the MVS server 310. Then the MVSserver 310 ascertains resource information of each image processingserver 320 and sends a resource ascertainment message to the imageprocessing server 320. Thus the image processing server 320 receives theresource ascertainment message from the MVS server 310 in a step S233.

Next, in a step S235, the image processing server 320 determines whetherto be available for processing multi-view images. If not available, theimage processing server 320 creates a processing non-available messageand sends it to the MVS server 310 together with resource information ina step S237.

If available, the image processing server 320 creates a processingavailable message and sends it to the MVS server 310 together withinformation about available image processing servers in a step S239.Then the MVS server 310 sends device information and camera informationto the image processing server 320, and therefore the image processingserver 320 receives such information from the MVS server 310 in a stepS241.

Next, in a step S243, the image processing server 320 performs thecompression of multi-view images, depending on images transmitted fromthe devices and camera information of each device. The compression andediting of multi-view images will be described later with reference toFIG. 8. After editing, the image processing server 320 sends the editedimages to the web server 330, which then sends the received images tothe client terminal 400 that requested multi-view images. Here, the webserver 330 may provide multi-view images to the client terminal 400 in adownloading or streaming type.

On the other hand, while receiving images from each device, the imageprocessing server 320 may perform a notifying function if some devicesfail to transmit images. Specifically, if there is no transmission ofimages from a specific device, the image processing server 320 makes anindex (e.g., a phone number) of the corresponding device and alsocreates a notification message that an image transmission failed. Thenthe image processing server 320 sends this notification message to themaster device or any other slave devices. If a new image is receivedfrom a transmission-failed node, the image processing server 320performs the compression of multi-view images by using the newlyreceived image together with images of other devices.

After the compression of multi-view images, the image processing server320 may send its own current resource information to the MVS server 310to update resource information. Therefore, the MVS server 310 can judgewhich image processing server is available for the compression ofmulti-view images.

As discussed above, the service server 300 allows the mobilecommunication devices 100 to be connected with the suitable imageprocessing server 320 through the MVS server 310, and also effectivelyprovides multi-view images to the transmission-requesting clientterminal 400 through the web server 330.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a method for converting multi-viewimages in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in a step S301, the image processing server 320samples the received images at a specific resolution. This sampling ofthe images may be performed using camera information stored in settinginformation of the mobile communication devices 100. That is, the imageprocessing server 320 may perform a sampling on the basis of imagestaken by the lowest resolution camera or alternatively by a specificresolution camera. For this, the image processing server 320 performscompensation and interpolation for images taken by the camera so as tomake their resolution uniform by increasing a resolution of images witha low resolution or by decreasing a resolution of images with a highresolution. The standard for sampling may vary according to systemdesigner's intention or network resource state.

Next, in a step S303, the image processing server 320 performsillumination compensation for the sampled images. While the mobilecommunication device 100 acquires images of the photographing target,illumination may be varied in general according to angle and directionto the target. It is therefore desirable to compensate for illuminationfor each image. In illumination compensation, the image processingserver 320 extracts the mean value of images by filtering each image,and then adjusts an illumination value of each image on the basis of themean value. For this, the image processing server 320 may useillumination compensating technique supported by a specific codec suchas MPEG4 or 3DAV.

After illumination compensation, in a step S305, the image processingserver 320 compensates for the camera location according to deviceinformation, camera information and image values. Specifically, when anumber of cameras take pictures at various angles to the specifictarget, right and left positions in each image may be varied, and alsoupper and lower positions to the photographing target may be varied.Therefore, in order to allow for compensation, the image processingserver 320 acquires information about device locations through a GPSmodule or by using calculation technique of base stations, acquiresinformation about dynamic locations on the basis of camera performanceinformation, and estimates image-taken locations by comparing imagepatterns of each image. In a comparison of image patterns, the imageprocessing server 320 extracts edges by filtering the received images,and compares the extracted edges with each other.

The aforesaid steps S301 to S305 correspond to pre-processing stepsperformed in the image processing server 320. Such pre-processed imagesdo not require further processing in a coding step, thus allowing muchfaster image processing.

After compensating for setting information, the image processing server320 calculates redundancy between the received images, and thendetermines whether the calculated redundancy of images is greater thanor equal to a predefined value in a step S307. If redundancy is greaterthan or equal to a predefined value, the image processing server 320encodes in a step S309 the received images using a specific codec, suchas 3DAV MVC, that considers redundancy.

If redundancy is smaller than a predefined value, the image processingserver 320 encodes individually in a step S311 each received image byusing another specific codec, such as MPEG4 AVC, that does not considerredundancy. The individually encoded images are integrated in a stepS313.

As discussed above, the multi-view image conversion method of thepresent invention includes performing illumination compensation anddynamic compensation to the received images, calculating an amount ofredundancy, and encoding the received images through codec with orwithout consideration to redundancy. Therefore, this multi-view imageconversion method may improve a resolution of multi-view images and alsooptimize a size of resultant multi-view images.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing a method for transmitting and receivingmulti-view images in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, in a step S401, a communication channel isestablished between the web server 330 and the client terminal 400, andthe client terminal 400 accesses the web server 330. Here, the clientterminal 400 may allow a variety of access to the web server 330according to a communication system of the web server 330. That is, ifthe web server 330 is based on a mobile communication system, the clientterminal 400 can access the web server 330 through a mobilecommunication channel. Additionally, if the web server 330 is based onInternet, the client terminal 400 can access the web server 330 througha cable or a wireless network using access points.

Next, in a step S403, the client terminal 400 requests multi-view imagesfrom the web server 330 and also determines a receiving type formulti-view images. When the client terminal 400 accesses the web server330, the web server 330 provides a web page allowing a selection ofmulti-view images. Therefore, the client terminal 400 can selectspecific images among various multi-view images included in a web page.Additionally, the client terminal 400 can select a receiving typebetween a downloading type and a streaming type.

In a step S405, the web server 330 transmits the selected multi-viewimages to the client terminal 400 through the selected receiving type.

Next, in a step S407, the client terminal 400 checks whether a codec isavailable for playing the received multi-view images. If there is noavailable codec, the client terminal 400 requests a suitable codec fromthe web server 330 in a step S409, and then receives the requested codecfrom the web server 330 in a step S411. If a codec is available, orafter receiving the requested codec, the client terminal 400 plays thereceived multi-view images in a step S413. Here, the client terminal 400may play such images in different manner according to its service type.

Specifically, in case of using a downloading type, the client terminal400 downloads the whole information related to the multi-view images,and then plays the completely downloaded images. If a user desires tosee multi-view images for a specific scene, the client terminal 400selects and plays the desired multi-view images among images downloadedand stored in the memory 160. Therefore, the client terminal 400 using adownloading type can provide all the multi-view images to a user withoutceasing.

Alternatively, in case of using a streaming type, the client terminal400 receives parts of the requested multi-view images, and then plays inreal time the received images while still receiving the other parts. Ifa user desires to see multi-view images for a specific scene, the clientterminal 400 reports it immediately to the web server 330 and thenreceives and plays the desired multi-view images. Therefore, the clientterminal 400 using a streaming type can selectively provide a user'sdesired multi-view images with enhanced receiving speed and savedreceiving capacity.

After completing a play of multi-view images, in a step S415, the clientterminal 400 disconnects a communication channel with the web server330, returns network resources, and terminates a connection.

As discussed above, the method for transmitting and receiving multi-viewimages may allow the client terminal 400 to offer various multi-viewimage services according to a user's preference.

FIG. 10 is an example view showing a photographing method using mobilecommunication devices in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. This example shown in FIG. 10 employs three devicesfor photographing.

Referring to FIG. 10, a photographing target is some persons who standsin a line. The master device takes moving images of the target asindicated by 150 m. Here, the first slave device on the left of themaster device photographs at a different angle from the master device,so the first slave device can obtain leftward images of the target asindicated by 150 a. Similarly, the second slave device on the right ofthe master device can photograph rightward images of the target asindicated by 150 b.

In this circumstance, the master device transmits some partial imageblocks of its own image 150 m to the slave devices. Specifically, afirst image block (Ma) at a left side of the entire image is sent to thefirst slave device, and a second image block (Mb) at a right side of theentire image is sent to the second slave device. The first slave devicedetects, from its own image 150 a, a third image block (Aa) matched withthe first image block (Ma). Similarly, the second slave device detects afourth image block (Bb) matched with the second image block (Mb) fromits own image 150 b. Here, the detected image block should have amatching ratio more than a specific value. That is, if a certain part ofthe entire image has a similarity more than a specific ratio incomparison with the image block received from the master device, eachslave device considers that part as a similar image block.

Additionally, each slave device may determine degree of imagediscordance by comparing a standard block (i.e., the first block or thesecond block) with a compared block (i.e., the third block or the fourthblock). This comparison is to examine where similar parts between thestandard block and the compared block are distributed in the comparedblock. For example, the first slave device can determine that the thirdblock (Aa) leans toward the lower part of the target by a comparisonbetween the third block (Aa) and the first block (Ma). Similarly, thesecond slave device can determine that the fourth block (Bb) leanstoward the lower part of the target by a comparison between the fourthblock (Bb) and the second block (Mb). The following description uses anexample of the first slave device.

If it is determined that the third block (Aa) leans toward the lowerpart of the target in comparison with the first block (Ma), the controlunit of the first slave device may display an icon or an indicator 11for an upward movement of a camera focus on a display image 751.Therefore, a user can adjust a camera focus to move upward. On thecontrary, if the third block (Aa) leans toward the upper part of thetarget in comparison with the first block (Ma), the control unit of thefirst slave device may display another indicator for a downward movementof a camera focus.

Additionally, if the data volume of the image 150 m taken by the masterdevice is too great for the slave device to receive, the master devicemay establish standard blocks from partial regions of the entire image150 m and transmit them to the slave devices periodically or in realtime.

From the detection of a similar block by comparing a current image withthe standard blocks received periodically or in real time, each slavedevice may enhance the degree of correlation between a currentlyacquired image and the image received from the mater device.Furthermore, in addition to the above-discussed upward or downwardindicator, the slave device may display indicators for leftward andrightward movements of a camera focus. That is, if a certain blockreceived from the master device has a matching ratio less than aspecific value (e.g., 70% or 50%), the slave device may determine thatthe acquired image leans toward the left or right part of the target andthen may display a suitable indicator for a corresponding movement of acamera focus.

On the other hand, the slave device may reduce a burden of calculationthrough PSNR measurement in the detection of similar blocks.Additionally, to further reduce such a burden, the slave device maydivide the standard block received from the master device into severalsub-blocks, select one of them, and detect an image block matched withthe selected sub-block.

Although the present disclosure has been described with an exemplaryembodiment, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for creating multi-view images, the method comprising: receiving certification of a multi-view image service at a master device; grouping mobile communication devices for creating the multi-view images by the master device; selecting an image processing server being available for the grouped mobile communication devices; acquiring images of a photographing target by the grouped mobile communication devices; transmitting the images to the selected image processing server; and converting the images into the multi-view images.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein grouping the mobile communication devices includes at least one among the followings: grouping by directly inputting phone numbers of the mobile communication devices; grouping by selecting information about the mobile communication devices in a phonebook; and grouping by collecting information about the mobile communication devices through a short-distance wireless communication channel.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the image processing server includes: estimating the size of images to be received from the mobile communication devices, depending on camera information and location information of the grouped mobile communication devices; and selecting the image processing server being capable of processing the estimated image size and being currently used.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the images includes: obtaining a synchronous signal for controlling cameras of the grouped mobile communication devices; enabling the cameras according to the synchronous signal; and capturing the images by using the enabled cameras.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the synchronous signal includes: establishing a short-distance wireless communication channel between the mobile communication devices; and transmitting a signal related to camera control operation of the master device to the other device among the grouped mobile communication devices.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the synchronous signal includes: transmitting the synchronous signal to the mobile communication devices from the image processing server.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the images into the multi-view images includes: performing illumination compensation of the images in the image processing server, performing dynamic compensation of the images according to camera locations, and comparing redundancy of each image with a predefined value; and encoding the images through a specific codec according to a result of the comparison.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein encoding the images includes: if the redundancy is greater than the predefined value, encoding the images into the multi-view images while compressing the images based at least partly on the redundancy.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the encoding the images includes: encoding the images using a 3-dimensional audio video multi-view codec.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein encoding the images includes: if the redundancy is smaller than the predefined value, encoding individually each image by using an MPEG4 audio video codec; and integrating the individually encoded images.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the images includes: transmitting a standard block from the master device to at least one slave device among the grouped mobile communication devices, the standard block corresponding to at least one part of an image taken by the master device; at the slave device, comparing the standard block with an image taken by the slave device; at the slave device, detecting a compared block corresponding to the standard block; at the slave device, determining a degree of image discordance between the standard block with the compared block; and at the slave device, displaying an indicator for the movement of a camera focus so as to adjust the image discordance.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a degree of image discordance includes: examining the distribution of similar parts in the compared block, the similar parts being determined by comparing the standard block and the compared block.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein comparing the standard block with the image taken by the slave device includes: at the slave device, dividing the standard block into several sub-blocks; and comparing one of the sub-blocks with the image taken by the slave device.
 14. A method for receiving and playing multi-view images, the method comprising: selecting a content including the multi-view images; selecting a receiving type for receiving the content; receiving the content according to the selected receiving type; playing the received content; and if there is a request for playing the multi-view images while the content is played, playing the multi-view images of a scene corresponding to a time of the request.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving type includes one of a downloading type and a streaming type.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein playing the multi-view images includes: if the content is received through the downloading type, playing the requested multi-view images among images downloaded and stored in a memory.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein playing the multi-view images includes: if the content is received through the streaming type, sending the request to a server that provides the content; receiving the requested multi-view images from the server through the streaming type; and playing the received multi-view images.
 18. A system for a multi-view image service, the system comprising: a plurality of mobile communication devices obtaining certification of the multi-view image service, forming a group for creating multi-view images, acquiring and transmitting images of a photographing target; and a service server performing the certification to at least one of the plurality of mobile communication, receiving the images transmitted from the mobile communication devices, and encoding the received images into the multi-view images based at least partly on redundancy of the received images.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication devices include: a camera acquiring images; a radio frequency unit communicating with the service server, receiving a message related to the certification, and transmitting the images; a control unit controlling the acquisition of the images by the camera, and controlling the transmission of the images by the radio frequency unit; and a short-distance wireless communication module establishing a short-distance wireless communication channel between the mobile communication devices.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control unit acquires device information and camera information about the mobile communication devices through the short-distance wireless communication module and performs grouping of the mobile communication devices.
 21. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication devices further include: a display unit displaying a content including the multi-view images, the content being transmitted from the service server; a memory storing the image acquired by the camera and the content; and an input unit creating an input signal for controlling the acquisition of the images by the camera.
 22. The system of claim 18, wherein the service server include: a plurality of image processing servers, at least one of which creates the multi-view images by using the images transmitted from the mobile communication devices; and a multi-view service server managing the certification of the mobile communication devices, and selecting the image processing server being available for the mobile communication devices among the plurality of image processing servers.
 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the service server further include: a web server transmitting the multi-view images to the mobile communication devices.
 24. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices include: a master device determining a standard block corresponding to at least one part of an acquired image; and at least one slave device receiving the standard block from the master device, detecting a compared block corresponding to the standard block by comparing the standard block with an acquired image, determining a degree of image discordance between the standard block with the compared block, and displaying an indicator for the movement of a camera focus so as to adjust the image discordance.
 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the slave device examines the distribution of similar parts in the compared block to determine the image discordance, the similar parts being determined by comparing the standard block and the compared block.
 26. The system of claim 24, wherein the slave device divides the standard block into several sub-blocks, and compares one of the sub-blocks with the image acquired by the slave device.
 27. A mobile communication device comprising: a camera acquiring images; a control unit controlling the acquisition of the images by the camera, and controlling the transmission of the images; and a short-distance wireless communication module establishing a short-distance wireless communication channel with other mobile communication devices under the control of the control unit, wherein the control unit acquires device information and camera information about the mobile communication devices through the short-distance wireless communication module and performs grouping of the mobile communication devices.
 28. The device of claim 22, further comprising: a radio frequency unit communicating with a service server available for multi-view images, receiving a message related to the certification from the service server, and transmitting the images; a display unit displaying a content including the multi-view images, the content being transmitted from the service server; a memory storing the image acquired by the camera and the content; and an input unit creating an input signal for controlling the acquiring of the images by the camera.
 29. The device of claim 28, wherein the control unit controls transmitting a standard block to other mobile communication devices, the standard block corresponding to at least one part of an acquired image.
 30. A mobile communication device comprising: a camera acquiring images; a control unit controlling the acquisition of the images by the camera, and controlling the transmission of the images; and a short-distance wireless communication module establishing a short-distance wireless communication channel with other mobile communication devices under the control of the control unit, wherein the control unit, when receiving a standard block from a specific one of other mobile communication devices, the standard block corresponding to at least one part of an image acquired by the specific mobile communication device, detects a compared block corresponding to the standard block by comparing the standard block with the acquired image, determines a degree of image discordance between the standard block with the compared block, and displays an indicator for the movement of a camera focus so as to adjust the image discordance.
 31. The device of claim 30, wherein the control unit examines the distribution of similar parts in the compared block to determine the image discordance, the similar parts being determined by comparing the standard block and the compared block.
 32. The device of claim 30, wherein the control unit divides the standard block into several sub-blocks, and compares one of the sub-blocks with the image acquired by the slave device.
 33. The device of claim 30, further comprising: a radio frequency unit communicating with a service server available for multi-view images, receiving a message related to the certification from the service server, and transmitting the images; a display unit displaying a content including the multi-view images, the content being transmitted from the service server; a memory storing the image acquired by the camera and the content; and an input unit creating an input signal for controlling the acquiring of the images by the camera. 